shore excursions

Beinveniedo Cozumel, Mexico

Posted on July 15, 2012 Updated on July 15, 2012

Our first stop on our 7-day cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. Normally, we plan for a couple of to-do’s on our bucket list. One of the items on my list was to do a little dune buggying. I don’t know why, it sounded like fun to me, so I convinced our friends to come along. This shore excursion is called beach Buggies and Snorkel at Punta Sur.

Hubby loves to snorkel and this shore excursion included both. I would have an opportunity to spend some quality time in a hammock with a coconut drink and he would swim the waters and look at some pretty fishes.

There were several things we learned on this excursion. You can save money and can buy the same excursion once you hit the ground. We had planned this excursion in our budget and preferred to pay the extra to travel with licensed and insured tour guides. There are several benefits to this approach. The tour guides are reliable. It is a hassle free expereince. Your credit and information is safe. Most importantly, these tour guides understand when the ship leaves and will keep you on track.

I loved this shore excursion because lunch was provided. It was the perfect step off the ship to remin us that we were on vacation.

There are so many shore excursions available but time is always a factor. I remember when the ships would hit port and the cruisers had a day or two in port. Not anymore. Cruises now are deisnged to get as much of your money as they can, so please be aware of your spending. Many of the ports are designed with the cruise ships inmind and much of the shopping you see in one carribean port, you will see in another, and there are only so many rum cakes you can buy.

Now back to Cozumel and Punta Sur.

This lovely item on the left is a weather indicator created by the Mayans. It was created out of soft limestone and sealed with honey as a binding agent. Initially, it made little sense to me until I was informed by our very knowledgeable tour guide, that when hurricanes would come ashore, this was a warning device. The wind would get caught in the middle of the object and create a tornado like visual that could be seen several miles inland. I know right, how cool is that. It is even cooler that centuries later that Tumba del Caracol
it is still there.

Here is the lighthouse at Punta Sur.

I love vacation time and we spend a year just planning out the details and putting away the required funds to really enjoy ourselves. The goal of a vacation is to get out there, relax and to find your smile.

Here is my friend Roz. Roz has made a new friend in the form of CocoLoco. I think she may have had a bit too much because she named the coconut Wilson and refused to sit it down. By the time she reached the bottom of the contents in the coconut, she felt pretty darned happy as evident here with her happy song.